We are comparing the new main characters with their original models and with each other, making judgements of who is better, or who has the better qualities, in a crisscross of the two sets of characters and the two casts. Let us focus on the differences in the way they were rewritten (and re-cast in consequence). At first I was going to make this thread just about NuKirk but this concerns them all and it wouldn't be practical to make individual threads. NuKirk has never known his father and even though he has a stepfather (all we know is he tries to have authority on Jim and fails), he lives with that loss and we know he was less encouraged to join Starfleet, so he has a very different path and psyche. Some say Pine's acting is more subtle than Shatner's. Maybe so, but the character is also simply written different. And this is a different era. Just look at the way James Bond incarnations evolved. You can make the same parallel between Pine's Kirk and Shatner's Kirk as between Connery's (or Moore's) Bond and Craig's Bond regarding the switch from get-all-the-girls, big-chested invulnerability to modern, more faceted characterizations. About Bones, let's face it: ER happended since the original Star Trek. And I'm not complaining. About Spock... maybe we were all tired of him playing the Vulcan and denying his Human half. Or does the movie suggest that he simply has a spirit of contradiction? But he's switching from "I can't fathom the quirkinesses of humanity" and considering his human half as a weakness needing to be suppressed along with his/its emotions, to "I want to be accepted for who and what I am and what I can bring to the table". At least one consistency: pride (but not to the point of not being outweighed by reason). Although NuSpock is more arrogant. Which is, obviously, more emotional. I don't think it's just because he's in his younger years. The new characters are more multidimensional. Showing Spock as an actual hybrid is very interesting. Sometimes I wonder why he has a human mother in TOS. When Spock accesses his emotions in TOS, it is as a Vulcan losing his usual control, not as a Vulcan-Human hybrid. Of course this thread is not meant to limit itself to the ST trinity. I'd love to hear about other characters. I think NuChekov, for instance, was delicious, and I'd like to hear more insight about that character and how it evolved. I hope this topic is not too broad. Most threads are very specific. I'm trying to focus mostly on the "sign of the times" aspect.
Pine's Kirk is emotionally hungrier. It makes him more desperate and even more willing to take risks. Shatner's Kirk had the essential Kirk dynamism, but his angst was limited to what he left behind by dedicating himself to his beloved ship and service. Zach said in an interview that his Spock was in a period before he had reached a balance in his personality, so this could account for the fortunate peek at his human side. Nimoy's Spock was older and may have had more time to reconcile himself. I'm wondering if Zach was told something about the character that will be resolved in sequels. Maybe we should enjoy his volatility now while we can. It may be that the two Spocks are actually not that disparate -- just in different stages.